Appartus for cleaning hulls of vessels.



NO. 6335873. Patented Sept. 26,1899.

D. MASON. APPARATUS FOR CLEANING HULLS 0F VESSELS.

(Application filed Nov. 11, 1898.)

(No Iad'al.)

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PATENT OFFICE.

' DAvm AsoN, mm LYORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR GLEANlNG HULLS OF VESSELS.

SPEC'IFICATION forming part of Letters FatentNo, 633,873, dated September 26, 1899.

Application filed November 11,1398 eel-aim. 896,143, (roman I a of the United States, residing atv New York,

in the county of New York and State of New York, have made a new and useful Invention in Apparatus for Scraping or Cleaning the Bottoms of Vessels, of which the-following is a specification.

My invention has for its objects, first, to provide mechanism for thoroughly scraping or abrading the sides andbottoms of vessels afloat and removing therefrom barnaolBSand such other substances as usually attach themselves thereto, the same being controlled and operated by means on the deck of the vessel or elsewhere above the surfaceof the water; second, to provide mechanism for thoroughly scraping or abrading the sides and bottoms of vessels afloat and removing therefrom barnac'lesv and such other substances as usually attach themselves thereto, the same being provided with means for raising and lowering it from a point above the surface of the water and additional mechanicalmeans for causing it to more closely adhere to the side or bottom of the vessel, and will be fully understood by referring to the following specification and accompanying -(lrawings, in

the drawings, illustrating also its application to the side of a vessel.

Referring now to the drawings'in detail, in

all of which like letters of reference represent like or equivalent parts wherever used, U represents the body or hull of a vessel afloat in a body of water. M represents one of the masts thereof, and F represents the supporting-frame of my preferred scraping or abrading mechanism,'the same being made preferably of iron and provided at its top side answer as guide ways for a propelling wire or rope belt'b v p S represents the rotary or movable part of the scraping or abrading mechanism, made of metal in the form of a pulley, with a groove in its outer edge for the propelling wire or rope belt b and journa'led upon a shaft T, se-- cured lo the frame F. The radial arms of the pulley are flattened, as shown in Fig. 2, and are so arranged as to constitute the fan bladeseor vanes of a propeller, so that when the pulley is rotated in the proper direction the propelling action thereof will tend to maintain the device in close contact with the surface to be scraped el -abraded, and also to thoroughly wash or cleanse the same. To one face'of the pulley is secured by screws or bolts 6 e e a detachable face-plate N, having a series of openings so disposed with relation to each other that the intervening parts constitute a series of radial arms, to which are detachably secured by nut-s a series of 'scrap-' ing or abradin g teeth I, made, preferably, of

steel and having sharpened points at their exposed ends The rear side of the rotary or movable part S and the framework F pre sent as much open space as possible, so as to admit of the free circulation of water there- .through and through the openings in the detachable'face-plate UL To the opposite ends ofthe framework F are secured two rings 1" r, to which are attached ropes R and R, running in opposite directions, entirely around the vessel, over pulleys p p on the sides thereof to a compound winch w, the function of said ropes and winch being to raise and lower the device as desired. The wire or rope belt I) is twisted, as shown, and passes over a pulley P above the deck of the vessel, secured to the outer end of a swinging arm which is pivoted upon a standard to the deck of the vessel, P P being additional pulleys fora second driving-belt Z). l

'M is a motor of any preferred form'secured tothe vessel and provided with. a pulley P, I) being a belt connecting said pulleys.

1 R is a rope secured to the outer endof the swinging arm and passing through a block B, secured to the mast M, 0 being a cleat on said mast, to which the end of the rope R is secured.

with two perforated lugs or ears E E, which i The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The device is lowered to a position below the surface of the water through the'agency of the ropes R R R and winch it. The motor is now started, thus imparting rotary motion to the pulleysPP' P through the belts; b b b to the rotary scraping or abrading device. Consequently as said device is rotated the propelling action of the fan blades or vanes thereof will tendto force it against the side of the vessel, and at the same time the teeth i will thoroughly scrape or abrade the surface, removing any barnacles or other substances which may be attached thereto. The device is now gradually lowered through the agency of the ropes R R R and the clinging action takes place in the manner described entirely beneath one side of the vessel until the mechanism reaches the keel. It is now moved forward or rearward, as desired, through the agency of the ropes R R the proper distance, and reversed operation takes place until the device again reaches the surface of the water, when the operation is repeated until one side of the vessel is entirely cleaned, the motor M, winch w, pulleys P P, and the attached parts on the deck of the vessel being advanced or retracted accordingly in any manner which will suggest itself to the builder. All of said parts except the pulleys p .17 might be attached to a common frame movable back and forth' on the vessel, a standard upon said frame taking the place of the mast M.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A scraping orabradingdevice for the sides and bottoms of vessels or other surfaces,

consisting of a pulley provided with scraping J or abrading teeth and driven by a belt extending to a source of motive power above the water, in combination with means for moving the device to any desired position, and fan blades or vanes attached directly to or constituting a part of said pulley for causing the device when rotated to closely adhere to the side or bottom of the vessel, substantially as described.

2. A scraping or abrading device for the sides and bottoms of vessels or other surfaces, consisting of a pulley provided with scraping or abrading teeth on one face thereof and operatively connected by a series of rope belts with a source of motive power on board of the vessel, in combination with means such as ropes for raising and lowering the same to any desired point, and additional means, in the nature of a propeller, for causing it to closely adhere to the side or bottom of the vessel, said propeller being attached directly to or constituting a part of the pulley, snbstantially as described.

' 3. A scraping or abrading device for the sides and bottoms of vessels or other surfaces, consisting of an open pulley journaled in a frame and provided on one face with scraping or abrading teeth, together with fan blades or vanes connected directly to the pulley in such manner as to force the deviceagainst the sides of the vessel when in operation; a rope or belt operatively connected with a source of power and additional ropes secured to the opposite sides of the frame, all of said parts acting substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this lOth day of November,

1898. DAVID MASON.

Witnesses:

. JAMEs P. J. MoRRIs,

1M. F. KEATING. 

